Police Blotter

Central District May Crime Report

As part of our ongoing efforts to be informative and share information, I will provide some monthly crime data on my blog.

MPD's dedicated Crime Analysts create this product. We use it to help to identify trends within and across districts, and to help focus resources on 'hot spots'.

Below are excerpts from the MAY 2018 report:

Shots Fired:

In May of 2018 there was one shot-fired central (there was also one in May of 2017)

For the month of May city-wide, there were 23 incidents (in 2016 there was 11 and in 2017 there were 21)

Gang Activity:

The central district continues to experience large crowds on weekend nights in the area of the600 block of University Ave. Gang members and associates are frequently seen hanging out in this area before and after the bars close. MPD staffs this area on weekends with several additional officers to proactively make contact with these subjects to help remove any anonymity they may feel by being in a large crowd in the central district. Gang Officers have been a frequent part of DSI.

Robberies:

There were 22 robberies city-wide in May, 5 of which were in the Central District

Central had the second most robberies of any district in May (East had 6)

The five year city-wide average for May robberies is 22.2

63% of robberies take place between 4p-2am

Burglaries:

There were 74 burglaries in May city-wide; by comparison in May 2017, there were 61

Central's May burglaries have declined over recent years--most likely due in part to new district boundaries. 2015--31 2016--30 2017--16 2018--12

Heroin Overdoses:

Overdoses attributed to opiates continue to be a major problem in Madison (and throughout the nation). The lethality of these drugs--thanks to incredibly potent synthetics--continues to increase.

In May of 2018, Central had 8 overdoses; in May of 2017 it was 2

CITY WIDE: In the month of May 2018, there were 30 known overdoses. This is an increase in known overdoses from May of 2017 in which there were 17. This is a 76% increase.

FATALITIES: In the month of May 2018, there were 5 suspected deaths from heroin overdoses. There were no suspected overdose deaths in May of 2017.

MARI: Patrol referred 8 people to the MARI program in May 2018. Of those 8, 5 people called Connections Counseling for their assessment.

MARI is the Madison Area Recovery Initiative, a program that MPD launched and for which MPD secured the grant funding. MPD works in partnership with a host of other agencies and stakeholders to use this alternative to traditional arrest.

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